Paula Johnson

Paula Johnson serves as a Contract Specialist within the DSC Contracting Services Division of the National Park Service, where she manages the acquisition of critical infrastructure services essential to preserving and modernizing America’s national parks. Her responsibilities include planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts for construction, engineering, and technical services that support the rehabilitation of historic structures, upgrade of utility systems, and enhancement of visitor facilities across ecologically sensitive and remote landscapes. She specializes in complex, mission-critical procurements requiring compliance with federal environmental and historic preservation standards, often coordinating with interdisciplinary teams to ensure technical and regulatory alignment. Johnson maintains established relationships with leading engineering and construction firms including AECOM Technical Services, Inc., Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc., HDR Engineering Inc., and McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in federal infrastructure projects, particularly those experienced in working within constrained, protected environments. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous oversight, and long-term contractor accountability to ensure project resilience and sustainability. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strong orientation toward open competition, with 66.7% of awards issued without set-asides, yet she consistently prioritizes small business participation, allocating 30.3% of contracts as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and 3.0% to service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. This balanced approach ensures competitive markets while advancing socioeconomic goals. Johnson’s primary NAICS focus areas include Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (236220), Power and Communication Line Construction (237130), and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541990), reflecting her specialization in facility rehabilitation, utility modernization, and engineering consulting. Her work demands deep familiarity with historic preservation standards, environmental compliance, and specialty trade contracting, making her a key steward of the National Park Service’s physical legacy.